Christmas in the good old days

Dec 25, 2019 News

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By Trishan Craig

The Christmas season is one filled with lots of joy and cheer. Just about anywhere you turn, you can see the twinkle of multi-coloured fairy lights. Carols can be heard from every corner. From homes to offices, all are well decked in Christmas decor.

Back in the day, it was by far different to the celebrations of today. I was able to hear two amazing seniors, Rupert Wilkinson and his wife, Chrissa, reflect on Christmases of yesteryear. Both sexagenarians, they were eager to call to mind the way Christmas was when they were young.
“Christmas was a special time of the year for my household. It was like a luxury for us,” said Chrissa.
Starting off with the most important thing which starts the season – the couple talked excitedly about Christmas preparations. They believe this would have been the most outstanding memory, as everyone would forever remember the cleaning.
The Wilkinsons stated that despite the cleaning, some persons are often filled with a festive feeling as they carry out their chores, such as the traditional ‘breaking up of the house’.
According to Rupert, “You’re working doing chores sometimes till in the morning, but it fills you with such joy. For every house nearby you can hear the big banging and seeing the splashing of water as you have to scrub the walls by hand. In those times there weren’t any pressure washers, so the washing of the house and mats was always done by scrubbing with your hands.”
The couple explained that back in the day, their decorations were homemade. Simple decorations like the streamers were handmade with papers and crayons, as siblings would gather and let their creativity take over.
Even though households were very large in those days, parents still ensured that their kids had a special gift for Christmas.
Chrissa recalled that as a child, she would normally tag along with her mother to purchase gifts. However, these would be stashed away until Christmas Day, just so the joy of opening a gift on that special day can be relished.
On the other hand, Rupert recalled that he never was privy to his gift ahead of Christmas Day. He said that nothing compared to going to sleep on Christmas Eve. He recounted lying awake in bed with a wide smile on his face as he listened to his mother applying the finishing touches to the home, including setting the gifts under the Christmas tree.
The couple recalled that because of a large household of kids, there were times when their parents were unable to find a toy for each of them on that special day, but they always had a grand feast to look forward to.
Rearing of Creole birds was a major thing for every family then, and like Thanksgiving in the United States, these birds will be well fattened to be cooked on Christmas day.
“Mostly, the Christmas meal was ‘yard duck’ or ‘yard fowl’ and turkey, which was cooked in curry. Not forgetting the pepper pot,” stated Chrissa.
She went on to say that the meal also comprised of garlic pork, black cake and sponge cake.
Rupert also remembered how the kitchen table was filled with rice wine, pickled onions, ginger beer and sorrel for the beverages. The men had XM rum and Banks Beer to “grace their throats”, he recalled with a chuckle.
They both recounted what they called “scary moments” – when the Masqueraders would come around to celebrate the holidays. Masquerade stems from an African tradition which involves going through the streets performing. Despite its cultural background, it was a major part of Christmas entertainment in the good old days.
A prominent character in the masquerades was the wild bull. The kids were often afraid of this character, the couple recalled.
However, with the acrobatic moves and drumming of the other participants, masquerades still brought humour to the neighbourhoods. At times persons would even follow the masqueraders a far distance away from their homes.
For Chrissa, her most favourable memories of Christmas would be dancing with her father and brothers, as their house was always filled with music. “We would play our music and my father and brothers would waltz with me and my sisters. Oh, we would have a grand time.”
In Rupert’s house there was also much music, but he chose to reflect on his and his wife’s festive views in relation to present day, when he stated that, “Christmas now is not as much as in the old days.”
“This is so because; the things that we ate on Christmas day can be eaten all year round. Certain things we never ate during the year, we couldn’t even use certain utensils, as they were all put up in a cabinet until big occasions.”
He added that, “What I enjoyed was that there was more decorating of the home where friends and family were able to reconnect.”
Although many things have changed over the years, there are still some customs from yesteryear that characterise how Christmas is celebrated. Persons still find time to do their general cleaning, painting and decorating, and there continues to be a grand feast to indulge in. Best of all, there is still that delightful time dedicated to family and friends which brings with it the extraordinary feeling of love and togetherness that only the Christmas season can.

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